Captain's Corner: Weather gets tricky

Warmer weather has migrations of fish all mixed up. Water temps around 80 degrees has slowed the migration of kingfish. There have been some hefty sized kings landed, just not in large numbers. Normally water at 73 degrees brings large numbers. The good news about this warmer weather is, you can catch kings all the way into December. At times in the past we had a large push of kings just before the holidays. Fishing has been lackluster on many rocks that normally produce fall migrations. If a cold front comes soon we'll get a few good trips before the season ends at the end of the month. It's hard to put seasons on fish, since the migration of many species is water-temperature relevant. These grouper probably will arrive in December. It simply didn't work out for recreational anglers this year. With red grouper season closed, there are few options for table fare until Jan. 1, when red grouper and amberjack season reopens. It looks like grunts, porgies and snapper are our targets in December. And of course, a kingfish or two if the weather stays mild. The warmer weather feels nice to many, but we need cooler conditions to keep gulf waters healthy. Red tide thrives in warm conditions. There have been some reports of it along our coast.